Crippled tug spills fuel,reaches port
VALDEZ, Alaska - A crippled tugboat that spilled fuel into Alaska's Prince William Sound after hitting the same reef that caused the Exxon Valdez oil disaster 20 years ago reached port yesterday, a spokesman for the tug's owner said.
VALDEZ, Alaska - A crippled tugboat that spilled fuel into Alaska's Prince William Sound after hitting the same reef that caused the Exxon Valdez oil disaster 20 years ago reached port yesterday, a spokesman for the tug's owner said.
The Pathfinder arrived under tow in Valdez, and crews will now determine how much diesel fuel spilled into the bay after the tug ran aground on Wednesday, Crowley Maritime Services spokesman Jim Butler said.
The Coast Guard said that two of the tug's tanks - containing an estimated 33,500 gallons of diesel fuel - were damaged.
In Valdez, responders were checking the stability of the Pathfinder in preparation to begin removal of about 93,000 gallons of fuel from seven of the vessel's eight undamaged tanks.
No animals were hurt and the spill didn't reach land.
The boat is part of a ship-escort service created after the Exxon Valdez spilled nearly 11 million gallons of oil in 1989.